Conclusion- It definitely would have been worth the entry the see what trousers on a tea tastes like. Since only the whole cake appears to be available, I have to write EoT to see if the sample is really unavailable or it's a case of some a web UI glitch.

MarshalN has the most particular pu-erh palate in the blogosphere (+25).

Ten bucks cheaper than the Chen-Guang-He Banzhang (+2)

No sample, must commit. (-20)

Heard Chen Zhitong lecture in Pasadena seven years ago which was awkwardly translated every few minutes. Could not keep awake. (No points. Just saying. A man's pu-erh blend has no correlation to his public speaking skills.)

The "Last century production" designation Lee Hoffman uses in his pu-erh list is a bit much for pre-2000 cakes.(-10).

But I guess it shows some degree of restraint as he could have gone whole hog with "Last Millenium"(+2).

His middleman upcharge on mini-tuo's($60 a pound) and Youzi cha is kind of high(-10).

XiGuan Fu Lu Shou Xi bricks are common so I could probably find it for cheaper through other sources. (-5).

Conclusion: Whew. I'll have to have another entry to make fun of the venerated Lee Hoffman and his suspicious pu-erh list. Thank you Emmet for pointing me towards this treasure trove of late night humor. I'm not sure what kind of person would giggle at the Phoenix Collection pu-erh list but I guess I'm one of them. If Lee Hoffman is a hero of yours, I'm indeed so very sorry. Sorry. Sorry. So sorry. I can't help myself... (I really did try to watch "All in This Tea" twice on netflix but I keep nodding off...)

Interestingly, this is the only autumnal selection in this list. Autumnal teas tend to poop out too early for me so it would not be my top choice for a special treat. Autum teas are fun to try when someone else has it but otherwise can be too much of a risk.

15 comments:

I would swap samples ofthe02 shi fu Lu xi and Heng Li Chang w you for a sample of your lbzs. Just don't expect the s f l x to taste twenty years old. David lee Hoffman is kind of a clown so why not laugh. His price on the Sflx is cheaper than skip4teas though. But Im sure there's is way better stored.

Hoffman is my Hero! LOL!!! The fact that he is a little eccentric is very entertaining about him. I laugh with you, but I am thank full for All In This Tea as is started my chinese tea exploration. I will say his puerhs are very very dry stored, and yes most of his selection I would get elsewhere. I do want an older xiaguan though and haven't seen them anywhere else except for skip4teas. I would trade a few samples with you guys and gals also if possible.

I was watching a few interviews of David Lee Hoffman on youtube and he is a very affable endearing story teller. He mentioned in the interview around 2008 that he wanted to concentrate mostly on pu-erh. But his Phoenix pu-erh list is hard to parse through since there are no wrapper shots- it feels he's clearing out his warehouse of random stuff he picked up. I do not get a good sense of a coherent collection style in the shengs- more of a one of everything style.

I spoke to him recently and he said he was just starting to bring things out as he goes thru his inventory. He said there will be much more available and samples will be available also soon. Also he does sampling at his place in California just contact before stopping by. And I really like your blogging style hster. Gets us more involved.

Thank you muchly Emmett! I feel like I've been in a cave for 7 years and have a lot to learn. When I read blogs of those who have continued on during this time , they really have grown leaps in their understanding of processing of the cake and how it affects flavor, fragrance, and aging. 7 years was enough for some to start gleaning useful knowledge from empirical observations on aging.

David Lee Hoffman probably is a lot like Alice Waters. She was hugely influential in California to bring fresh organic produce to restaurants. But her flagship restaurant, Chez Panisse is overpriced and not that interesting anymore. It's possible that Hoffman has some interesting gems in his collection but it is impossible to tell from his list. The fact that Rose scented mini-tuo is $60 a pound as is 1999 Green Menghai Beencha is a bit confusing. He doesn't have much reviews on the web yet so you definitely should blog about them.

I remember reading a lot of forum discussions about EoT selections being overpriced and whether or not their selections all warranted the high price. I have personally never tasted any of their tea so I have no strong opinions yet.

Just saw your reply actually after posting this the next day I brewed some heng li chang. It is definitely top three teas in my my collection. If I only owned one cake I wouldn't part with any of it. But I am fairly stocked up. It's A good tea to show you where the bulang bitterness is heading. I have had teas from the 70s that you can still taste that bulang bitterness.

Myself being a lover of properly wet stored tea love EOTs selection of aged tea. As far as there prices go where else in the west can you easily purchase this kind of stuff let alone by the gram. That kind of convenience demands a premium. That being said there prices are not that far out of line with what they are going for in Asia.

And Yes I drink young sheng all of the time I'd say I drink about 50 50 young to aged. I just kinda saw allot of info on young sheng on the Internet and virtually no info on aged teas( as far as teas that are available in the west.) so that's what I wrote about. I have every intention once work slows down for the winter to continue blogging on aged tea just far to busy right now.